Crimson Blood. open

[| COMRADE |]

A soft pink nose nudged him awake that morning. His blue eyes opened and fixed upon the beautiful familiar face of his mother. He felt the bulge of fur in his back which was his sister. He could hear her gentle breathing and snoring. His father was pacing somewhere up ahead. Stretching his body slightly, he twisted around to lap a scrap of moss off his shoulder before rising to his paws. Craning his neck back so he could clearly see his mother's face he asked, "Are we going hunting?" The she-cat nodded.

"Yes," his mother meowed, turning away. "Wake your sister and we'll head off," she ordered. Serenity prodded his sister with one paw. Slowly the snowy white she-cat stirred and half opened her eyes.

"Serenity? Want to play mouse?" She sprang to her paws, immediately awake and shook her long tail. Though he did want to, he shook his head.

"Mother said we're going hunting," he meowed. "Come on! I'll catch more mice than you!" He yipped, and turn to charge out of camp. Almost at once he charged right into thick tabby fur. An unfamiliar scent filled his nose, and suddenly a menacing feeling set his fur bristling. Backing away, head held low and crouching close to the ground, he stared up at the enormous tabby that had appeared. The cat had cold green eyes, and his muscular body gleamed in the sunlight. Staring down at Serenity with hostile eyes, the cat hissed at him.

"Watch where you're going, foolish kit!" He growled. Behind him several lean, muscular cats laughed and jeered at him and his sister. A familiar yowl echoed up the slope, and he turned, relieved to see his mother and father racing down the ravine to meet the intruders. He raced over to his mother and hid behind him, feeling Crescent trembling into his side. His father padded forward until he was standing in front of the tabby cat.

"Who are you to talk to my son like that?" He growled, his black fur bristling. The tabby glared at him with mocking eyes.

"I can do whatever I want. And you are standing in my way." Suddenly, there was a flash of brown fur, and then the two cats were rolling on the ground, snarling. The other cats rushed forward, and Serenity found himself being thrashed into the ground. With a sharp yowl, he squirmed and writhed, feeling claws pricking his flesh. His sister shrieked with fear and he heard a soft thud, craning his head around to see her lying on the ground with blood pouring out of her.

"Crescent!" He wailed. "Crescent, no!" He wrenched himself free, and raced over to crouch beside his sister. He nudged her again and again with his black paws, but she did not wake up. She was dead. He could hear the sneers and insults from the intruders, but they meant nothing to him. Letting out a cry of grief, he turned and raced under the legs of the attackers and fled into the bushes. One cat gave chase, and claws raked his tail. Running faster, Serenity saw the small gap in the thorns up ahead that only a kit his size could squeeze through. Pelting forward as fast as he could, he charged straight into the thick thorns, and thrust his way through feeling the thorns ripping at his nose, his eyes, his ears. Pieces of his fur still clung to the thorns but he continued running until the sounds of the battle had faded, and the scent of his sister's blood and dead body was outrun.

*******

Serenity jolted awake, his ice blue eyes wide, and he tasted blood in his mouth. The sky was still black, and there were no stars and the moon was hiding behind clouds. He twisted around in his nest, trying to fall back asleep but the blood was getting sickening. He squirmed out from the roots of the tree he had slept under, and began to swipe his tongue around his jaws to rid the tastes of his dream. It didn't fade. He spat on the ground and saw the crimson blood, ghostly illuminated by the only source of light around, from the twoleg nests a several monster-lengths away. He realized he had bit his tongue in his dreams. Serenity shook his head, trying to clear it. Raising one tiny forepaw, he began to wash the pad and the grit that had stored between the flesh during the night. Slowly, paw by paw he finished washing each leg, before turning to the rest of his body. Only when his black and white fur was completely devoid of any mud and dirt did he stop. Though he was a loner, it was instinct for him to try and look his best.

He looked up at the sky, his eyes soft and sad while he searched for any star. A small gap in the clouds revealed one gleaming yellow star. His eyes fell upon it, and it seemed to be pulling him. Pulling him towards it. Only one word could form on his lips. "Crescent?" His voice was raspy, as he hadn't used it for awhile. The seven-moon-old kitten began to pad closer to where the star shone over rogue lands, and he began to pad faster and faster, his blue eyes fixed upon it. Clouds flew, threateningly closer to his star. "Stay Crescent! Please stay!" He begged, and broke into a run. The star cast a glow upon him, and he skidded to a halt. He caught a familiar scent on the breeze, and sighed sadly. "Oh, my sister, I miss you so much," he whispered, staring up into the night as the clouds passed over the only thing he had left to remind him of his sister. Sighing, Serenity slid to the ground, lying his head on his two white forepaws. His ice blue eyes stared off straight ahead into the distance while he remembered the last game he had ever played with her.

[Barketh]

[ That's too big Amy. -erases half of it- Ahhh, much better. ^^]

Padding carefully through the mud from the other day's rain, the small she-cat sighed heavily. Her cream fur was splashed with brown muck, but that wasn't what had her in bad spirits.
She'd been resting in a tree when she'd spotted a cat who looked ghostly similar to her younger brother. However, the she-cat shook it off. That couldn't be possible, because the tom had blue eyes, while her entire family had green or brown. Besides, Mel was dead, as painful as the realization was. It was impossible for the tom to still be alive.
But we never did find his body... Maybe... No, it's not possible. He died, Ivan, Cross and I saw him go under...
Shaking the painful image from her young mind, the she-cat picked up her pace despite the slippery ground underpaw, and she hurried onwards, chased by the haunting memory of her kin. However, it wasn't long before nature got its way, and it only took one pawstep onto wet ground before Rice had slipped and was sent tumbling and sliding down the slope.
Letting out a startled meow as she landed with a thud at the bottom, she groggily stood up, swaying slightly. Rather than looking her usual elegant self, one might mistaken the loner for a mud monster which was the result of some twoleg experimenting or such.
"Ow..."
She grumbled, stretching her forepaw before setting it down and continuing her walk at a much slower pace. Looking around in the hopes of finding some water source to cleanse her fur, the she-cat purred as she spotted a small puddle left over from last night's storm.
Hurrying over, she hesitated for a split second.
Water.
The one thing she feared above all else.
Shuddering, she took small steps toward the pool.
It's just a puddle. Not a river.
Sighing, the she-cat carefully washed her fur before shaking the liquid off. Swallowing what was left of her anxiety, she smiled slightly as her cream coat was restored its soft texture. However, her relief was short-lived as she glanced up and spotted a figure that chilled her heart.
Blue eyes widened, and her limbs went rigid.
No... That can't be... Mel?
Staring straight at Serenity, the she-cat's body seemed frozen by shock and disbelief. Until her senses got a grip and she realized it was the tom she had spotted from a distance before.
He's the striking image of Mel... Aside from his eyes.
She thought, relaxing and padding over the tom. He looked about her age, and she felt reassured that she might feel less intimidated without older cats around.
"Umm... Hello there."
She meowed, waving her black tail as she paused several lengths away from the tom.

[/center]

[| COMRADE |]

Paws scrabbled on the rough, muddy grounded. A soft thump echoed in his ears as the scent of another feline slowly drifted into his open maw. He turned his head, blue eyes falling upon a creamy furred she-cat with a black tail, black paws, a black muzzle. He looked into green eyes, observed a sudden flash of hope and memory. He twitched one ear with confusion, as he did not recognize her himself. Then he saw the expression clear and realized she must have thought he was someone else. Gazing at her with calm blue eyes he rose to his paws, shaking his body of the stress from the crouch, and turned to face her, fully, head tipped faintly to one side. He raised one little kitten paw to lick a small spot of mud from it before half lowering it to the ground, keeping it raised only halfway from the ground.

"Hello," he meowed, his voice soft and low, blue eyes glowing brightly as he finally found himself not alone. "My name's Serenity," he added. At seven moons, he was still a kitten, and therefore still had that exciting energy. The she-cat in front of him looked young, maybe around the same age, he couldn't be certain. "Are you out here, all alone too?" He asked, curiously. He realized how rude he might be sounding. "Of course, you don't have to answer that. Excuse me for being nosy," he dipped his head calmly to her, his long tail still curled up over his ears while his eyes fell upon a passing dragonfly. Instinctively, he dropped into a crouch, and forgetting the cat in front of him, sprang into the air, twisting around to catch the bug squarely in his sheathed paw, landing lightly as not to hurt or squish it. When it's wings fluttered helplessly, he winced at the feeling that hurt him when he saw the poor creature, scared and trapped, and raised his paws to let it fly away and soar into the clouds.

[Barketh]

Blinking, she was slightly surprised at how polite the tom was. Most cats her age, specifically her littermates, had always been so loud and had never bothered to apologize for anything. Smiling as the tom seemed to give off an encouraging air, the she-cat shrugged.
"It's alright. You're not nosy. I guess you could say I am alone though."
Briefly, her thoughts flickered back to her kin. Were they worried about her? Did they miss her the way they missed Mel? Or had they known all along that she was better of on her own?
Mentally shaking away the worries, she watched as a dragonfly fell victim to the kit's reflexes. However, just as it seemed he'd caught a small meal, he released the insect. Watching as it fluttered gratefully back into the sky, she waited until the sun faded on its shining wings and it had dissappeared from sight.
Looking back at Serenity, she purred.
"My name's Rice. It's nice to meet you."
Normally the she-cat would shy away from others, however, the way he released the dragonfly reminded her of how she felt whenever she saw birds. They had comforted her before, and she felt she owed them something at least. Though she was clueless as to whether or not this tom had anything to do with bugs, she wondered if it was compassion that had lead him to sparing the dragonfly. Either way, she admired his calm way of dealing with things.
Blue eyes glowing, the she-cat sat down, curious as to why another young cat was out on its own. Still, the she-cat wasn't brave enough to ask. She might've been leaving her comfort zone in just talking to someone else, but that didn't mean she was bold enough to start interviewing strangers.

[/center]

[| COMRADE |]

Serenity slowly turned his gaze back to the she-kit, gave his chest a few quick licks. Raising his head again, he flicked his tail back and forth with boredom. "Nice to meet you too, Rice!" He meowed, dipping his head and prodding a rock with one paw before batting it off a tree. "I've only met a few kittens like us out here alone. I'm alone as well. It gets quite boring being out here alone," he added, his small forepaw tugging at a few long strands of grass. His blue eyes fixed upon a small gap in the nightly sky, where a star's light began to shine through. The taste of the air was humid, all wet. He could feel a storm was coming, but not until at last dawn. Turning his attention back to the she-cat he meowed; "Have you ever met a... Strange group of cats around here?" He thought of the cats that murdered his sister, felt another pang of sorrow and grief but his face still remained a mask of bored calm.

[Barketh]

Slightly surprised at the prospect of other young cats out on their own, she shook off the reassuring feeling, realizing that those kittens were at just as much of a risk alone as she and Serenity.
"A group of cats?"
Blinking at the odd question, she tried to trace her memory for any recollection. However, she couldn't pull anything up.
"No, I don't think..."
Suddenly, something appeared in her mind. A faint memory of waking up on a cold night, maybe the sixth night since she'd left home. She'd been startled awake by the freezing wind and the haunting cry of some night bird. Frightened and shivering, she'd heard rustling and whispering voices. Shadows had appeared in the ferns, and at first they didn't take form. Until she realized she could understand what they were saying, and the figures gradually grew into cats. Fearing she might be trespassing, Rice had cowered into the undergrowth, hoping the leaves and dirt would mask her scent. The group had continued by, not noticing the she-cat.
Trembling from fear and cold, she'd drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Blinking back into the present, Rice recalled how she had dismissed it all to be a dream. But now as she thought about how realistic it had felt, she knew that it was reality.
"Actually... One night, maybe 2 moons ago, a group of cats were wandering through the woods. I didn't confront them... You could say I was too chicken..."
Her voice had died down as she recalled the eerily frightening aura the strangers had given off, and how she had been terrified at the idea of them finding her. She didn't know them, but they seemed dangerous, and her instincts had yelled at her, 'stay away! stay away!'
So she had.

[/center]

[| COMRADE |]

Serenity waited patiently as Rice slipped into a memory, and he began to look around at the fields and far off trees again. When she spoke his eyes shot intently back to her. Two moons ago, he thought, suddenly becoming worried. What if they find us? What if they kill me like they did with my sister? What if they hurt another cat?" he thought. Turning his attention back to her, and trying to hide the prickle of feel along his back. "It's best if you do stay away from them. They are bad cats. They'll kill you just for bothering you," he trailed off for a moment. They might not have been the same group, but he knew he couldn't trust any group of cats... Other than the four clans, who were bound by the Warrior Code, not to kill unless life or death...

[Barketh]

Blinking, the she-cat's brow furrowed in confusion at his words.
For a moment, she felt a disturbance in the air, and she thought she saw a brief shadow of pain flash through the tom's eyes. However, it was gone almost instantly, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he somehow had encountered the cats. And something bad had happened. Perhaps that was why he was alone now? She felt needles stab into her heart. Instinctively, her fur stood on end. If whoever those cats were had caused Serenity to lose his family, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to forgive them.
"Did you meet them?"
She meowed, although the answer was pretty obvious already. The pretty she-cat's eyes narrowed in concern, and she felt a flicker of fear pass through her before she brushed it away. She'd gone off on her own in search of adventure. This was at least a start. Who knew? Maybe she and this tom could become good friends, and they could bring an end to the omen cats lurking around.

[/center]

[| COMRADE |]

For several heartbeats Serenity stared at his paws, at the white fur where it trailed into his black. He almost wished she hadn't asked the question, but he knew she had and he had to reply to it. Gathering himself he glanced up at her and meowed quietly. "You could say we met," he murmured, hardly meeting her eyes. "They ran into us.. My family. And they murdered my sister," he flattened one ear against his head. He didn't want her sympathy or pity. Life is life and it was cruel; they all had to accept that sooner or later. But even so he wished she had lived so they could continue being together. "They kill and fight to feel blood running beneath their paws and swimming with bloodlust. They are not like most other cats," he added.

[Barketh]

Tensing slightly at his words, she felt that she should regret having asked the question. However, she accepted that she he would've had to bring it up sooner or later, and sometimes expressing yourself was better than hiding from reality.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
She meowed, recalling how she had felt when she had lost Mel. First denial, then disbelief, and then a deep sense of agonizing loss. However, time had passed since then, and she had accepted that he would never come back to her.
And there was no sympathy. We all mourned in our own way, because mother and father couldn't support each of us when they were broken.
Blinking, she looked up, and an unusual determination filled the she-cat's normally shy blue eyes.
"Serenity, we can both agree on something. Those cats can't be left in this woods, killing as they please. Your family... You said only your sister was killed for sure? There might be a chance that your parents are still alive."
She meowed, voice persistent despite her young age.

[/center]

[| COMRADE |]

Serenity flicked his tail warily back and forth. He closed his eyes, recalling the memory and tried to search for them in the grotesque images that whirled through his mind. He saw a flash of his father's eyes, the soft white fur of his mother. Then, blood sprayed across her throat, and she fell to the ground, writhing. A flash of her eyes, and then a cat threw itself at him and he saw no more of his parents. Panic whirled his mind and his eyes shot open. "My mother," he whispered, and held back a soft whimper of grief. "A claw ripped her throat. I... I don't know. The last I saw of my father; he was alive." He shut his eyes again, trying to block out the images that swirled in front of his eyes, trying to get back his usual calm.

[Barketh]

Fearing she had made him remember something that brought him great pain, the she-cat fell silent for a while, trying to find the right words to say.
"Then... Your father might still be alive... I'm sorry for making you remember that time, Serenity. But I need you to tell me one more vital thing. Where was it that your family encountered them?"
She meowed, green eyes serious as she stared at the tom. Despite their similar age, the she-cat was surprised at her own sincerity. Never before had she been so determined to do anything, but now as she began forming a plan in her mind, the riskiness and thrill of it sent shivers of excitement through her body.

[/center]

[| COMRADE |]

For a heartbeat he remained unresponsive until the persistence of the she-cat got to him. He raised his head, a blank look in his eyes. "At our home. One day, they came right to our home, and attacked us. The leader," he shut his eyes trying to picture the cat. "A huge brown tabby cat with green eyes. The coldest eyes I have ever seen. His cats were all colors, but they were as cruel as him," he murmured. He tried to remember any of the particular cats, but his mind was whirling with all the horrible memories. "Our home. It's not far from here. It's over those trees and across another field, into another forest. It took me only a half moon to get here," he added.

[Barketh]

Nodding attentively, the she-cat looked in the direction the tom had mentioned. The trees stretched out for a long while, but the ground above it rose just over the treetops, and she could see the field stretching on after it. Narrowing her eyes, she felt a deep sense of urgency. Looking over at Serenity, she meowed,
"What if I told you I wanted to go find those cats and learn of what happened to your father? Would you come with me? You're the only cat who knows exactly where your den is."
She meowed, not even realizing what she had said until after she spoke. Disbelief at her own words filled her. They were just kits! Did she really expect to rescue Serenity's father from a group of blood-thirsty, full-grown cats?
Then she remembered something she had heard long ago. A subject she had been discussing with Mel a moon before his death.
He had asked her what she would do if a family was begging her to rescue their kit from an evil cat. She had said, "I'd go and save it, of course."
Smiling, he'd replied, "And how would you defeat a cat so much larger and more powerful than you?"
She had been unable to answer him, and he had smiled in that calm, wise way of his that betrayed his young age.
"Size sometimes gives us the advantage. If you act with reason, even to save a complete stranger for the sole purpose because they need your help, then that enough is your motivation. However, if you rush blindly in, your sacrifice will have been for nothing. Time is everything. How long until the kit is no longer spared by the cat, how long until you are strong enough to defeat the cat? Power and size isn't everything. A sharp mind, and what you learn about yourself on the way is more important then you would think. Yet you would still go to save the kit, wouldn't you?"

[/i]
Rice had blinked, and a determined look crossed her face.
"Yes. Because if you were taken away, I would be devastated, and I would want you to be rescued and brought back. Because no cat deserves to suffer the stress or lonliness of not knowing what has become of their precious ones. Even if it would take moons to find the cat, I would become stronger along the way, I would find the kit and bring it to its family."[/i]
Mel had then purred in amusement and had laughed. His eyes had softened, and he'd stood up.
"Relax, Rice. There is no kit lost from its family. There is no one in need of your help..."[/i]
He'd turned around to walk away, and she'd watched him go. However, her eyes widened for, before disappearing into the bushes, she heard him whisper,
"Yet.[/i]
-----
Blinking free of her memory, she stared at Serenity, and for a brief second, she felt the loss he had felt when his sister was no longer with him. It reminded her of the hollowness she'd experienced when Mel was no longer at her side.
That kit would want to be with its family again. That family would want to be with its kit again. And I would want to see them together again.[/size][/center]

[| COMRADE |]

Serenity pawed the ground, his eyes wide and wary. For a moment he didn't know how to respond. To take revenge on the cats to kill his sister... He shivered slightly at the thought of hurting any cat, even if they killed Crescent.. Or his mother. His eyes closed at the image of her blood spilling from her neck, and he almost hissed. He opened his eyes again. If his father was still alive, he wanted to find him. He fixed his shockingly blue eyes upon Rice, and for several heart-beats remained silent. Finally he spoke. "Of course I'll come with you. I'll show you the place where I was born and where I last saw my family," for a heartbeat he wondered if the bodies were still their. If the cats had just left them lying torn and violated in the dust and shambled of their home. His claws dug into the ground as a shudder passed through him. Yet, he could not find himself being angry. Gazing at Rice intently he added, "And I'll try to find them. I could never take revenge... It's not my way. But if my father's still alive I will find him and bring him back. That's what a family does," he growled. With a start he suddenly realized he had never asked Rice why she was alone, or what had happened to her own family. But it was too late to ask, as they were already getting excited over the coming journey.